Case for upright pianos.



110.855.1453. I PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

F. T. STEINWAY.

CASE FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

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%%/%w M 3 attmmui a Z FREDERICK T. STEINVVAY, OF NET/V YORK, N. Y.

CASE FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Applicatign filed January 11,1907. Serial No. 351,777.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK T. STEIN- WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cases for Upright Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to upright pianos of that type in which the lower front-part of the case may be opened in order to augment the volume of sound, and the object of the invention is to provide a construction by which this part of the case may be completely and very readily opened.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective View of an upright piano showing my improved case, with the lower front-part in closed position, Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view showing the frontpart opened, Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on line 3, 3, Fig. 1, drawn on a larger scale, and, Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of a case showing a modified construction.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In the drawings a represents the case of an upright piano, and b the lower front-part of the same. The front-part b is preferably divided at the center so as to form two halfsections 6 N, which are hinged at their sideedges to the case at the ends of the latter so as to be capable of being swung laterally into open position at right angles to the body of the upright piano, as shown in Fig. 2. The hinged sections 5 6 are recessed at their upper adjacent corners at W, so as to permit them to clear the end of a latch constituted by a single flat spring (1 which is attached to the underside of the key-bottom at right an- 'les to the front of the case. hen the liinged sections are placed in closed position so as to cover the lower part of the piano, they are locked by means of the spring (1, as the end of said spring engages the upper adjacent corners of the sections 6 b so as to hold them in closed position.

When the sections are closed, they depress spring-buttons e, e, which are arranged in sockets of the cross-piece a immediately beneath the keyboard, said buttons serving to press the sections 1), b sli htly forward as soon as the locking-spring c? is released from the same, so that they can be readily swung forward on their hinges and placed at right angles to the body of the case so as to permit the full volume of sound to escape from the exposed lower part of the piano.

The locking spring and spring-buttons serve to hold the sections in tightly closed position so that no rattling or other noise is produced by the vibration of the case in playing the piano.

In place of opening or closing the lower front-frame of the case of an upright piano, as described, the entire lower front-p art may be hinged at its lower edge as shown in Fig. 4, or a panel at any intermediate point of the same, and moved in forwardly-inclined position and supported by suitable means. In this case, however, while the sounds are emitted between the key-bottom and the in clined portion of the lower front-part, the arrangement is not so effective as when the front-part is opened entirely by means of the hinged sections.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an upright piano-case, the combination, with the cross-piece immediately below the keyboard, of sections hinged laterally to the case to close the lower part thereof, means for locking said sections in closed position, and means carried by said cross-piece whereby said sections are urged toward open position when the locking means is released.

2. In an upright piano-case, the combination of laterally hinged sections arranged to close the lower front part of the case, means for locking said sections in closed position, a cross-piece which is covered by said sections when they are closed, and spring buttons carried by said cross-piece which urge said sections toward open position when said locking means is released.

3. An upright piano-case having a crosspiece immediately beneath the keyboard and open below said cross-piece, sections hinged at their side-edges to the ends of the case and capable of being swung laterally to close the lower open part thereof, spring-buttons car ried by said cross-piece and against one of my invention, I have signed my name in which each section abuts When it is closed, presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

anel a latch cons stmg of a single sprmg by FREDERICK T STEIN;AY

WlllOll both of said sections are maintained in completely closed position in opposition to Witnesses:

the action of said buttons. THEODORE CAssEBEER,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as THEO. EHRLIOH. 

